


The Apex Pilots

by Orbit (PLEOrbVTwo)



Series: Journey of The 13th [2]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games), Titanfall (Video Games)
Genre: Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 05:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30117627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PLEOrbVTwo/pseuds/Orbit
Series: Journey of The 13th [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2216295
Kudos: 3





	The Apex Pilots

"WE'RE PINNED IN HERE! THOSE FUCKERS ARE GONNA BREAKTHROUGH OUR LAST LINE OF DEFENSE!! WHERE'S THE TEAM LEADER?!" A middle-aged man yelled out from the top of his lungs.

A younger man, a medic, rushed towards the veteran soldier as sounds of artillery echoed the valley. "He got trampled by enemy Titans, sir!"

An explosion went off near the pair: Anti-Titan artillery, the newest toy created by the Militia. The senior grunt raised his voice. "WHAT?!" His ears were ringing, and the shockwave created by the explosions only made it worse.

"I SAID, HE GOT TRAMPLED BY ENEMY TITANS, SIR!"

The ringing stopped as the veteran grunt let out a burst of small laughter. "Fuck me… that means I'm in charge now… I can't lead these men. Their spirits are all shattered. Who can blame them? There's not much we grunts can do when faced with a squad of Pilots and their Titans." He said with a defeated tone, reaching in his pockets to light the last cigarette of his life.

The medic sat down quietly next to him, reaching his hand out for a smoke.

"I thought you never smoked?" The team leader, amused at his subordinate's action, threw the pack towards the young medic.

"If I'm gonna die, might as well try something new." He replied while stumbling to light the cigarette. A single puff of smoke danced the dimly lit outpost, with the sounds of coughs and laughter filling the still suffocating atmosphere. Then, sounds of sorrows, regrets, and the whispers calling the names of loved ones engulfed the outpost.

_Even now, I can still recall their voices, voices filled with despair calling for help, hoping to find salvation in a hellish situation. Some of these grunts have even broken down, typically recruits fresh out of basic. And when one starts breaking down, it spreads like a virus, infecting the rest. At this point, the chances of pulling these lost souls out their dread is close to zero. But not impossible…_

"Sir, here to report!" A private barged in the room, startling everyone with his words of joy.

"I bet the report is just going to be filled with junk just to keep our morale up. So? Spill it. What do we have? HQ sending hookers? More blood money? Or is it those all so shiny metals for our dead bodies?"

"No, we got reinforcements!"

"What good are grunt reinforcements going to do against enemy Pilots and Titans…"

"No, sir! We got Pilot reinforcements!"

Upon hearing those words, the once suffocating room started to breathe again. Tears of sorrow stopped, replaced with those of glee as a glimmer of hope sparkled in those words.

_Pilot. A word that can bring either hope or despair._

"Which division?"

"The 387th div-"

Hysterical laughter came out of the team leader, "A full fucking newbie division?! There are more than a dozen battle-hardened enemy Pilots with their Titans! And they're sending a squad composed of nothing but newbies?!" He let out a puff of smoke, trying to calm himself down, "Don't get me wrong here, I'm sure each one of them is more than capable of taking down a Titan or two. Maybe even a Pilot. But at least have _some_ veteran Pilots in the mix like they usually do. There will be fewer casualties for us grunts that way..."

A cold sweat ran down the private's nape; it was his first deployment, after all. "I-I was also ordered to inform TL t-that HQ is sending Pilot Zephyr from the 13th SPD alongside the new Pilots."

The senior grunt smiled. Any traces of doubt in the reinforcement vanished. "Well fuck me! Ask, and you shall receive. Lads! We're heading home in the flesh!"

Shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere, the private couldn't help but ask. "Umm… I know Pilots are in a different class of their own, but what makes Pilot Zephyr… unique?"

"It's not him we're cheering about. It's the division he is in that we're cheering for." The now cheerful team leader swung his arm around the private's neck, "You haven't seen a 13th SPD Pilot in action, have ya?"

"No, sir."

"You can drop the formalities here. We only use them when radioing or when shit hits the fan and training kicks in." The medic joined in, offering the both of them a seat on the floor next to him. "I've seen Pilots in action before. Some are worse than us grunts. Others, well, exceeded those of what we heard in stories by a long shot." He pulled out a stainless steel flask and poured a shot to his senior and himself. "Want one?"

"I'm good."

"Suit yourself." He took a shot. "Simply put, all Pilots who stood out and accomplished a great feat on the battlefield. All get a shot at joining the Special Pilot Division, or SPD for short. Essentially, they are the elites of the elites."

"And this Pilot, Zephyr, he's one of them?"

The medic shook his head, "Yes and no. Yes, because he's in the 13th division, and no, because he's in the 13th division… You see, there are only twelve official divisions in the SPD. So on paper, anyone in the 13th isn't part of the SPD." A pause. "Because the job of the 13th is to hunt and exterminate rogue SPD Pilots." Another shot. "While I'm not sure about Zephyr's capabilities in detail, it is safe to conclude the threat he poses to the enemy rivals that of a small company at a minimum. All because he is a part of the 13th…" The medic's hands started to tremble. "X…" he whispered to himself.

"Your hands-"

"I'm fine, just remembering shit." He laughed it off, tried to at least. "Just keep this one thing in mind; if you ever run across an SPD Pilot with the number 13 and the letter X inscribed onto his helmet… don't get in his way. And for the sake of your sanity; try not to look at him on the battlefield, if possible, that is..."

The private, not knowing how to respond, gave a confused look towards the medic. Hoping he'll understand.

"Sorry man, it… it isn't easy to describe. You don't need to worry too much about it as of now. So, just enjoy the first-class view of a Pilot from the 13th SPD in action."

…

"...I'm not dreaming, am I?" The young, inexperienced private asked in disbelief towards the scenery in front of him.

The valley was covered by burning remnants of stolen titans once piloted by the Militia forces, alongside dozens of corpses lay all torn up. Most of which can hardly be recognized as human anymore. The handiwork of the Pilot named Zephyr and his Northstar-class Titan.

"T-Thanks f-for t-the s-support." The private's voice was stiff and filled with both horror and admiration.

Zephyr chuckled, "Just doing my job as a Pilot. You grunts are the ones doing the heavy lifting. We're just here to make things a little bit easier for you lot." His voice was soft and gentle, like a caring parent talking to their child. "You guys did well. None of you deserted even in the face of inevitable defeat and death. I'm proud to have all of you as my teammates." He announced to the remaining IMC grunts. Echoes of their cheer could be heard from miles away. Some grunts even cried. After all, witnessing a Pilot in action was not an everyday sight, let alone being complimented by one.

The Pilot soon approached the medic as he reached his hand out, "Thank you for keeping them alive." Zephyr smiled. His emerald green eyes shined brightly under the visor.

"Like you said, just doing my part." The medic gladly shook the Pilot's hand.

Satisfied. Zephyr turned towards the group of newbie Pilots, "Good work covering my back out there. All of you have the potential to join me in the 13th SPD; it's only a matter of who has the hunger to do so." Although not showing it on their faces, their body language gave away their hidden excitement.

"Right then." Zephyr embarked on his Titan, "Take care now, all of you. And remember, we're always looking for potential Pilots to join us."

…

"Zephyr… Zephyr…? Fucking hell, Zephyr!!"

"Huh?! What?! I-I'm awake! I'm awake!" The young, blond-haired Pilot rolled off his bed as a menacing shadow stood beside him. "Oww… what time is it X?"

"Eight in the morning," X replied coldly, unlike his usual tone when talking to the girls(see part 1 for context).

"Eight? In the morning?! The fuck you wake me up that early for?"

"To do our job. Our contract starts today, remember?"

Zephyr was smiling internally, _got him!_ "Oh fuck. I forgot about it! My gear hasn't been repaired yet!" As the young Pilot was panicking about the situation, a black duffle bag was thrown at him.

"Get dressed and drop the act. I didn't suspend my post for nothing, you know." 

Zephyr let out an unsatisfied sigh, "See. This is why barely anyone approaches you, X. You got no humor." He scratched his head before unzipping the bag. "How'd you figure out that act of the day anyway?"

X rolled his eye, "Really? Your fucking equipment was outside on the table and in prime condition, I mind you." He let out a sigh, "Plus, it's just plain obvious with a side of horrible acting."

"Fuck me… I forgot to hide it… and ouch for that acting comment." Zephyr complains as he starts to gear himself up. "Who's our contract partner anyway? They gotta be pretty stacked or important for the IMC to send us alongside minor logistics."

"It's the Mercenary Syndicate."

Zephyr stopped, "The Syndicate? Why in the world would the Syndicate need _us_? Hell, why would they sign with the IMC? Everyone in the Frontier despises us!"

"Beats me. Maybe we'll get more info during debriefing."

"Fuck me…"

…

"We're landing in KC soon! ETA is in twenty minutes!" The dropship pilot announced to the duo.

"Hey X!"

"Hm?"

"What's in those giant ass bags?" Zephyr lightly kicked the two pink weapon cases.

"Volt and a kraber."

"Excuse me, _what?!_ "

"A volt," X replied nonchalantly. While his junior almost fell out of the dropship.

"You think I'm more concerned about a volt than a fucking kraber?!" Zephyr shouted in the microphone, causing slight feedback.

"Thought you'll be surprised that I run an SMG."

"Okay, that too." Zephyr pointed towards the veteran Pilot, "So, I take it you didn't bring your… basically cheating smart pistol?"

"No. I brought it with me." X tapped the smaller pink case.

Zephyr stared at X in utter disbelief, "Then what the fuck is the volt for?!"

"Dealing with potential heavy armored targets."

"Heavy armor… of course, dealing with heavy armor… X, I don't know if you recall. But you brought A FUCKING KRABER!!"

"It's backup, just in case the volt doesn't work."

"Using a fucking anti-material rifle as backup… you… you know what, never fucking mind." The young Pilot shook his head as his senior let out a chuckle. "Ha ha, very funny. And here I am with a wingman and 301, while you brought not only a volt and kraber but your smart pistol too."

"Oh, so now not only are you judging my loadout. You're also gonna judge what is entertaining to me now?." X responded with a smirk on his face.

"No, this is _not_ entertaining in the slightest. Do you know what is? Videogames, partying, having some smoking hot sex, and watching the Apex Games. Those are entertainment." 

"Fucking hell Zephyr…" X let out a sigh, "Your stupidity aside, I agree on the Apex Games. Those are quite enjoyable."

"You didn't tell me you watch."

"You never asked."

"Oh fuck off." He laughed, "Who's your favorite anyway?"

X paused for a moment, "It's between Octane or Mirage."

"Huh. Thought you'd be more of a Bloodhound or Caustic kind of guy."

"Nah, I like the flashy ones." X leaned back, calm and relaxed. "What about you?"

"Wraith! Been watching her ever since the beginning!" Zephyr replied with a prideful expression. "Think we'll meet 'em?"

"Who knows, but if we do. Remember, we're not here for a vacation."

"I know, I kno-" An explosion caught the Pilots off guard. The duo, ever so curious, took a glance outside of the dropship, hoping to see the origins of said explosion. "The fuck…?"

"King's Canyon sure is a lively place…" the veteran Pilot commented, donning his helmet and grabbing the volt and smart pistol out of their respective cases. "Drop off the rest of our shit at the meeting point! And tell Blisk we're going to the explosion site!"

"Are you two idiots?! This is nowhere near safe drop speed! You'll die if you jump in this speed and height!" The dropship pilot yelled at the pilot duo.

Zephyr laughed, "We're Pilots. Jumping off high places and going fast is what we do best." Was the last thing he said before the duo jumped out from the dropship with no hesitation, with smiles on their face.

…

Meanwhile, near the burning ship…

"I'm tellin' ya. I didn't do bloody anythin'! It was all fuckin' Mag's doin'!" Fuze yelled towards Lifeline and Gibraltar.

"Brotha, it doesn't matter. People got injured because of that stunt."

"Ya think I don't know about that?! Just because I came from Salvo don't mean I hurt the innocent on a day-to-day basis!"

While the trio are having their heated argument, Mirage, Octane, Horizon, Bangalore, Wattson, and Wraith are standing close by, having their little side conversation.

"Told you that ship's too big, should have used mine instead… damn… now I miss my ship…" Mirage said half-jokingly as he sat down on the dirt ground.

"Elliott, you don't have the money to sustain that party ship." Wraith softly and quietly reminded the charismatic trickster. "Not to mention your bills for keeping Paradise Lounge running."

"I-I know that!"

"Are you having troubles with your bar, Elliott?" Wattson's face was troubled, unsure if what Wraith said was true or not.

"N-No need to worry, Natalie! Everything i-is just fine in Paradise Lounge, so feel free to drop by without any worries!" Mirage smiled, "I'll still have to charge you though… kidding, kidding! Well, mostly… a couple of free drinks won't hurt… I hope..." He murmured.

"Don't worry about losing customers, amigo. Your bar is the only one I got to." Octane chirped as he swung an arm around Mirage's neck.

"I have to admit. Your bar's not half bad." Bangalore chuckled, a rare sight to see outside of combat or shooting guns.

"Aye, Elliott, Your bar is very lovely," Horizon added.

"You… you all really think so?"

"Aye, Darlin'."

"Oh wow… I… I'm-" before Mirage could finish his emotional speech, he, alongside Wattson and Octane, were swiftly pushed to the ground by Wraith as a blue dome covered the trio, while Bangalore took a shooting stance with a P2020 in hand.

"Both of you drop your weapons and identify yourselves!" Bangalore commanded the two shadowy silhouettes standing above them. " _Looks like one's holding a 301 and the other holding a pistol of some kind, RE45 maybe… doubt they'll compl-_ " her train of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of something hitting the dirt ground. A volt and an R-301 laid flat in front of the Legends.

"Take it easy there, sergeant, or else you'll really, and I mean _really_ regret it later." Zephyr jumped down from the bone-breaking height of the cliff, surprising the Legends. But the sound of his jump kit activating and the gracefulness of his landing made it clear to most of them who they're dealing with.

"Never thought I'd see another IMC here in the Outlands, let alone a Pilot." Bangalore let out a chuckle before lowering her pistol, much to Wattson's surprise, while the remaining Legends, excluding Octane, stood close by silently.

"So, what's a Pilot doin' here in King's Canyon? Let alone two." Fuze jumped in before the sound of another jump kit was heard moments later.

"Beats me. We still haven't gone through debrief." Zephyr responded nonchalantly. "In any case, my name's Zephyr. An IMC Pilot and that is-" He pointed towards his fellow Pilot.

"Call me X, and I'm that kid's supervisor."

Upon hearing the Pilot's introduction, Fuze let out a smile and laughed. Easing the tension between the Pilots and Legends. "Yer an interesting person, X! Having a single letter for a name."

"Glad we didn't get off on the wrong foot." X then pointed towards the two weapons on the ground, "Can we have those back?" Upon his request, Bangalore then tossed the volt and 301 back to the Pilot duo. A simple "thank you" was given in response.

"Well then, Pilot, I don't suppose the IMC are here to pick me up, am I right?" Bangalore asked the veteran Pilot, even though she knew the answer all too well.

"Sorry, sergeant, you're too well known in the Apex Games for the IMC to just pull you out completely without any controversy." Zephyr replied as he cleared his trusty 301, "And as bad as it sounds, most Grunts and even us Pilots are only statistics to the IMC."

She sighed, "I figured that much… but, do you have any news on Jackie- Jackson?" Both X and Zephyr shook their heads. "I see…"

"Glad to see some of ya are getting along with 'em." Lifeline interrupted. Her voice carried a hint of hostility towards the two IMCs.

"Hey. Uhh… a quick question, did any of you fought in the Frontier war?" Mirage jumped in.

Zephyr then pointed at X, while X himself raised his hand. "I did. Fought in Typhon and Gridiron during my starting years as a Pilot." He briefly explained. "IMC pulled my squadron out early on Gridiron, in case you're wondering why I'm still here. Alive and not jailed, had a couple of close calls with death on that hellhole."

"Cool. Cool. Cool… hang on, you said Typhon?" Mirage added.

"I did. Fought an interesting Pulse Blade Pilot there too." He then pulled out a torn-up 6-4 patch from his inner pocket. "Though, it's more accurate to say that I received a one-sided beat down." He chuckled.

"Hang on, hang on. You fought Uncle Droz?!" Mirage's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Droz, huh? So that's his name… wait, did you say 'uncle'?"

"Uhh… you won't punch me if I say yes, right?"

"Kid, the war's been over for more than a decade. And I'm not that much of a dick to beat down a civilian, just because they have ties with the Militia."

"Oh, thank god."

"Sorry to interrupt here, darlings, but I'd much rather be someplace far away from that burning ship." Horizon gently reminded the group as two large drop ships slowly descended from the heavens. "Would ya look at that, right on time."

"Legends, please proceed towards drop ships 24 and 28." The announcer's voice echoed from the external speakers of the ships.

"Wait, what about us?" Zephyr asked one of the ship pilots, "do we wait for the next one or?"

"There wouldn't be another ship inbound. Besides, you're an IMC Pilot. Figure it out yourself." The dropship pilot responded with a clear tone of hostility. Her tattoo of the Frontier Militia made it easy to understand her attitude.

Noticing it, Zephyr backed off as he apologized. "I see…"

"Well then, there's only one way out now." X sighed, "You still got that experimental Northstar?"

"You're not-"

"I am." The senior Pilot interrupted, "Call it in. We're already beyond late."

"Hey, amigos! You wouldn't mind adding another passenger, would ya?" Octane's voice was filled with excitement.

"Quit it, Silva! Yuh gonna hurt yourself again, and this time it's gonna be more than I can handle when you do." Lifeline quickly shut the daredevil down.

"C'mon Che! It's a Titan! You can't tell me _not_ to ride something as exciting as that!"

"I can, and I am." Lifeline then looked towards the two Pilots, who are enjoying this mini argument. "You two should say somethin'."

"Think you can hold on?" X asked half-jokingly towards the now wide-eyed adrenaline junkie, which gained him a murderous glare from Lifeline. 

"Hey, Northy's dropping in hot!" He announced towards the Legends, signaling them to move out of the way. "5...4...3...2...1!" As the countdown reached one, a giant fireball appeared in the sky. It wasn't long before the earth rumbled from its presents.

"Never know until you try!" Octane enthusiastically responded as he embarked the Northstar class Titan.

"This is gonna be tough, a score of one to one for that old man." Zephyr smiled as he entered the cockpit.

"Well then, guess that's our queue." X jumped on next to the lively daredevil, "See you Legends soon!"

"Later Che!"

"Silva, get back here!"

"La la la, can't hear you Che!"

"What's the matter with ya?! Could ya listen to me just this once?!"

"Hang on tight boys. It's gonna be a hell of a ride." Zephyr warned the duo hanging on the exterior as the Titan began to hover and pick up speed.

"No can do Che." He let out a child's grin, "Vámonos amigos!! WOOOHOOO!!!"

"Silva!!"


End file.
